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Severe restrictions for commuters: Cologne Central Station from November 14th. blocked!
On November 14th, the DB will close regional tracks at Cologne central station so that the new signal box can be put into operation. Redirections and adjustments follow.
Severe restrictions for commuters: Cologne Central Station from November 14th. blocked!
An important message for all commuters and train travelers: From November 14, 2025, Cologne Central Station will be completely closed for a few days. The reason for this is the commissioning of the new electronic signal box, which is scheduled to officially begin operations on November 24, 2025. With this measure, Deutsche Bahn would like to significantly increase the performance and reliability of rail transport in the region blick-aktuell.de reported.
The extensive work is part of a large-scale infrastructure renovation program called “S3”, which has seen significant investments in the Cologne node over the last four years. Among other things, 176 new signals were installed, 208 kilometers of cable were laid and eleven new signal bridges were built. Two switches are also being modernized. Around 360 million euros were spent on this large-scale modernization measure, and the new technology will be able to control around 1,300 train journeys per day in the future, added deutschebahn.com.
Closure and changes in transport connections
The complete closure of the regional and long-distance tracks will take place from November 14th (9 p.m.) to November 24th (5 a.m.). During this closure, 53 new signals will be installed and 217 existing signals and other systems will be dismantled. These changes will have some impact on the timetable. Anyone traveling to or from Cologne by train should be prepared for adjustments.
Long-distance transport connections are particularly affected. For example, ICE trains to Aachen and Brussels will stop in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, while connections to Amsterdam will stop in Cologne Messe/Deutz. There will only be two-hourly direct connections for the route to Berlin, and some trains will be canceled altogether. Travelers to Bonn, Koblenz and Mainz also have to prepare for a reduced timetable - there are no stops at the Cologne junction. Anyone who relies on the S-Bahn or the RB 25 is in luck: these lines are largely not affected by the changes. But here too, there are exceptions to be noted, especially in the course of the coming nights deutschebahn.com.
Preparation and further developments
In the meantime, the dispatchers have already started preparing for the new technology using a special simulation system. These trainings are critical to making the transition as smooth as possible. In addition, another modern signal box has already been put into operation in Bonn-Beuel, and future modernizations in Cologne-Mülheim, Bonn Hbf and other areas are also planned.
The entire project is part of a broader initiative by Deutsche Bahn, which includes investments worth six billion euros from the long-term strategy to digitize and modernize the rail network, such as spiegel.de reported. This is intended to raise not only train transport, but also the entire infrastructure to a new level.
So if you want to commute to and from Cologne in the coming weeks, you should revise your procedure and find out about the latest timetable changes - a look at the Deutsche Bahn homepage will help here.